He was born in West Liberty on Feb. 1, 1922, a son of the late Clarence Leroy and Elizabeth Umble Keenen. He also was preceded in death by brothers, Ray, Clarence and Luther Keenen; and sisters, Bertha E. King and Geraldine Detwiler.

Survivors include a son, Teri L. (Ellen) Keenan of San Marcos, Calif.; a daughter, Kellie (John) Tocco of Las Vegas; brother, David Keenen of Reynoldsburg; sisters, Wanda Carr and Peggy Gullett, both of Arizona; granddaughters, Holli Butler, Koral (Kevin) Wire, Hailee, Lacee and Mandee Tocco; two great-granddaughters, Olivia and Addison Wire; and his significant other, Dorothy M. VanBuskirk, with whom he resided for the past 20 years.

He graduated from DeGraff High School in 1940 and Ohio Northern University, taught high school math and science, and coached at DeGraff, Ansonia and Roundhead. He was the founder of Logan County High Schools' six-man football in DeGraff. He coached basketball and umpired for both Logan County and San Diego schools.

A World War II Navy veteran, he enrolled in a U.S. Navy pilot program and was transferred to the Naval Reserve. In 1952, he was recalled to the Korean War to implement an early helicopter program.

He retired from the Navy and San Diego Juvenile Delinquent Teaching and turned to real estate, developing "Keenanmar" Business Park. He traveled five continents and 47 U.S. states before choosing to return to Logan County.

He was a life member of the Bellefontaine Country Club, AMVETS, VFW and the American Legion.

Gene Marine conducts a funeral at 2 p.m. Thursday at Eichholtz Funeral Home, Bellefontaine, where calling is from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Burial follows in the Fairview Cemetery, West Liberty, with military honors by the Logan County Honor Guard.

In his email, Teri Keenan said, "My [surname] was Keenen not Keenan. He said he got tired of telling the Navy that they were misspelling it and used Keenan from the Navy forward... The rumor in the family is that two brothers, a long time ago, had a fight and one of them started using Keenen while the other kept the original spelling Keenan, who knows?"